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Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau
Improving Zimbabwe’s healthcare facilities requires everyone to contribute, including the private sector, so as to improve the lives of people in line with the mantra of ‘leaving no one and no place behind’, Beitbridge East legislator Cde Albert Nguluvhe said yesterday.
Speaking during the official opening of the private North Haven Medical Centre in Mabidi suburb recently, Cde Nguluvhe said it was critical to deal with language barriers, especially in the provision of health care services.
Those providing services, especially in remote areas, have been encouraged to deploy staff who understand and can speak local languages so they can effectively talk to the patients.
There was need to increase the coverage of primary care health facilities in rural areas where many people were still walking long distances to find a clinic or hospital.
“The Government has covered a lot of ground through the devolution and the Constituency Development Fund and other grants in constructing key infrastructure in the form of clinics,” said Cde Nguluvhe.
“However, as Zimbabweans, we could have more such facilities if the private sector and the corporate world also invest in these facilities as what North Haven has done.
“If we pool resources and complement all efforts by the Government, we will be able to bridge the deficiency gaps on the ground, where service delivery is concerned.”
Resources at the Beitbridge District Hospital, said Cde Nguluvhe, were overstretched because it was sited in one of the major trade corridors in Africa and had to deal with sick travellers and drivers and the rest who did not live in the area, but pass through and were injured or fall ill.
Although the 140-bed Beitbridge District Hospital is a referral for 300 000 local residents, it also deals with patients from Gwanda, Mberengwa and Mwenezi districts, and potentially over 15 000 people who pass through the town daily. Cde Nguluvhe said the opening of more health centres in the district would reduce pressure at the local district hospital, which also handles over 400 baby deliveries a month.
“My appeal to the corporate world is that let’s work with the Government and give back to the community by investing in this critical sector,” he said.
“It is critical that we increase the primary healthcare facilities in rural areas and in some instances, upgrade some of them into polyclinics at ward centres so that they may offer more services.”
Presently, the district has 17 primary healthcare centres and several private surgeries.
The World Health Organisation has set 8km as the maximum people should have to walk to a clinic or hospital, but some in Beitbridge district, with its only moderate population density, have to walk for about 20km.
North Haven co-founder Dr Aramu Magodora said they decided to complement Government efforts in improving the quality of health services.
“So, we have invested in this eight-bed medical centre which has a fully equipped laboratory to carry out more than 50 different tests, an ECG for checking heart-related illnesses, ultra sound, oxygen machines, and a full dental unit,” he said.
“In addition, we will soon procure an X-ray and a dialysis machine and an ambulance to improve service delivery. As an organisation we have noted that the town is growing rapidly and hence we decided to contribute to the growth of medical care services.”
In interviews, residents said the opening of the new clinic will ease some of the challenges they encountered, especially of travelling to access laboratory tests in other towns including Harare and Bulawayo.
“This is a good development and we wish we could have more to minimise the burden some people in rural areas have been facing,” said Ms Lindani Mudau.
“In some instances, they travel for long distances within Zimbabwe or to South Africa to access services, but now North Haven has brought the services within reach.”
Online Reporter